Valentine's Chocolate
by LillySteam44
Summary: Haruhi has made some chocolate for her friends, with a special one for a certain blonde boy. Complete one shot, with two bonus sequels.
1. Valentine's Day

As silently as possible, Haruhi opened the door to her dad's bedroom and tiptoed over to his night stand. She glanced at him as she placed the little package of chocolates, wrapped in bright pink paper, on the wooden surface. He had mascara and a little eyeliner smudged around his eyes, and she felt more confident in her decision not to wake him up just to give him Valentine's chocolates. He had to have gotten in later than normal to neglect thoroughly washing his face. She smiled, though, knowing he'd be overjoyed to see the package once he got up to start his day.

Just as quietly, Haruhi made her way out of the room and closed his door behind her. She slid the rest of the pile of chocolates in her school bag and finished getting ready to leave the house. As much as she tried not to think about the day ahead of her, it was difficult not to. The last week had been extremely busy at the Host Club, and seven girls had confessed their love to 'him' in as many days. Each time, she hadn't really known what to say, and she certainly wasn't going to turn them down the same was Hikaru and Kaoru did. In the end, she told each girl the same thing, that she was too busy with her responsibilities to have time to date.

That wasn't strictly true, but each of the girls had looked at her with stars in their eyes and probably just liking her even more for her dedication. It was stressful for her, but Tamaki seemed to be just eating up the attention. Really, all the boys were more excited and lively, even Mori smiled more. Still, they were her friends, and she'd been glad to make the giri-choco, though as she started to go through the process of making six sets of chocolates, seven if she counted her dad's, it felt less of a courtesy and more out of real affection, if platonic, for the boys she spent her time with. Then she'd gotten to the set for Tamaki.

She hadn't intentionally saved his for last, at least not consciously. Each set was a little different for the recipient. She had made pink and blue ones for Hikaru and Kaoru, extra dark chocolate for Kyoya, strawberry filled ones for Honey, and added hazelnuts for Mori. She just hadn't known what to do for Tamaki. In the end, she decided to make his chocolates from scratch, instead of molding the melting chocolate she'd used for the others. Haruhi shook her head as she stepped out the door to clear her mind of thoughts of chocolate. Today was certainly Valentine's Day, but she also had a test in French that was definitely more important.

Though it didn't appear that anyone in her class seemed to agree with her. Hikaru and Kaoru were accepting their chocolates with their little act, and actively advertising the host club. While she knew Kyoya would be proud of them, she couldn't help the annoyed feeling they gave her. More often than not, though, she was distracted by accepting her own chocolates. She made a mental note of each of the girls who did, on Tamaki's orders. It felt like they'd been planning their White Day party for months even though it was closer to weeks, but he had insisted every girl who had given any one of them chocolates deserved a direct invitation to the event. It was a nice sentiment that Haruhi liked the idea of, though she was sure that Kyoya had sold premium spots with some extra benefit. It was easy to ignore that now, smile and thank the girl in front of her and add her name to the growing list.

She didn't have a moment to herself all day, it seemed, until she arrived at the third music room. Since they didn't have a cosplay today, she could take a deep breath and relax for a moment. Well, as much as was possible for the sheer amount of energy in the room.

"Haru-chan!" Honey exclaimed before running over to hug her. "Have you had a good Valentine's Day?"

His smile was so wide and genuine, she couldn't bring herself to say anything negative about her, so far, stressful day. "I have. I bet you've had the best day, getting all those sweets," she remarked. "Speaking of," she trailed off as her own comment jogged her memory of the mass of wrapped chocolates in her bag. She fished out a gold colored package and handed it to him. "These are for you. Don't forget to brush your teeth."

If possible, Honey's smile got wider. "Oh, I won't. Thank you so much, Haru-Chan!" He hugged her again and ran off, probably to show Mori his new gift. She couldn't help but find the cheer infectious. Perhaps Valentine's Day wasn't so stressful after all.

"Wait, you got Honey-sempai chocolates-" Hikaru began.

"-but not us?" Kaoru finished, both ending their shared sentence with a pout.

"Of course I made you idiots chocolates," she said, and brought out two packages, one pale pink and the other a pale blue. Their excited grins replaced their pouts just as quickly as they'd set in.

"You really are the best," Kaoru said, leaning over and giving her a peck on her cheek.

"We really appreciate these," Hikaru added, repeated his brother's action on the other side. They skittered off as well, and Haruhi decided she might as well hand out all of them before they opened for the afternoon.

Kyoya was sitting at the long table, typing away at his laptop as usual, as Haruhi approached.

"I know you don't really care for sweets," Haruhi began as she fished out the dark blue package, "so I made some bittersweet dark chocolates for you." She placed the little package down next to him so he wouldn't have to stop working, but his hands stopped moving across the keyboard. She hadn't expected the surprised look that momentarily crossed his face.

"Thank you," he said simply. He paused just a moment before adding, "You're one of the only people who remembered my preference." He resumed working, and didn't open the package yet, but Haruhi walked away with a satisfied smile.

Since Tamaki was missing from the room, likely caught up with Valentine's nonsense, Haruhi went over to the table where Honey and Mori always sat. It wasn't hard to see that Honey had already ripped open his chocolates and had eaten them all. She pulled out the second the last package, a deep pink color, almost maroon, and held it out to Mori.

"You like hazelnuts, right Mori-sempai?" Haruhi said. He silently nodded his head and faint pink color came to his cheeks as he accepted the small box.

"Thank you, Haruhi," he said quietly. "I will enjoy them."

Though she wasn't free of the last package, she put her school bag away with the others' bags. She would just have to give Tamaki his chocolates later.

She started to heat water for tea and coffee, and the twins joined her to arrange the cakes they had brought in from some expensive bakery in Tokyo. It wasn't until the very last moment when Tamaki edged through the door to the third music room. His bag was full to bursting with gifted chocolates from girls and, though Haruhi had been expecting it, seeing it made her heart sink. Just like the fancy cakes they got for the club, most of them would be made by world class confectioners. Her very homemade chocolate just wouldn't be able to compete. Perhaps she should have just used melting chocolate for his as well.

She didn't have time to dwell as within moments, the doors were open and they were welcoming what felt like every girl at Ouran. The next several hours were spent entirely focused on their clients and Haruhi felt more stressed than she had all day. If she hadn't already gotten to have her own little Valentine's Day, in those few minutes before club opened, it probably would have felt worse on her. Instead, she could remember her friends' happy faces and genuinely smile.

It felt like days before they were saying goodbye to their last guests, and Haruhi started to gather up cups and plates to be washed. She bustled around as Tamaki tried to get lists of chocolate givers from each host.

"What do you mean you don't have one?" he loudly exclaimed when the twins brushed him off.

"We didn't know you'd want a physical list right now," Hikaru said with a shrug.

"We can make one, of course, but we just don't have one now," Kaoru added, mirroring his brother's shrug.

Tamaki got more and more frazzled as neither Honey nor Mori had lists either. He dramatically sighed in relief when Kyoya already had his list, though Haruhi wasn't sure why he hasn't asked Kyoya first. He was always the one who had everything already prepared. After a moment of silence, only a short one though, Tamaki wailed loudly. Haruhi jumped and nearly dropped the cup she was holding. Thankfully, she caught it, and there wasn't a need to add to her debt.

"Why is Haruhi on this list!" he yelled out, and Haruhi sighed. She should have expected this, the madness when he found out everyone had gotten chocolates but him, so far. Haruhi set down the tea cup and dried her hands. Quickly, before he could start yelling at the others, she retrieved the bright pink package from her bag.

"I have one for you too, Tamaki-sempai," she said. She couldn't help the exasperated tone in her voice. The day had been long and she had long stayed to regret treating his chocolates differently. She'd gotten over excited and though they were good, they would never stand out against the mounds of candy he'd gotten that day.

"You really thought of Daddy for Valentine's Day?" he perked up immediately and didn't bother actually taking them from her before sweeping her into a twirling hug. Finally, he let her go and took the package from her hand.

"Of course I thought of you," Haruhi said. "I can't imagine they're as good as most of the others you got, but I hope you like them." While she hadn't meant to let the middle part slip out, she didn't have the mental willpower to even care too much that she'd said it aloud. She just wanted to get the dishes clean quickly and, if she were lucky get home in time to see her father before he left for work.

The dishes were easy enough, but there were quite a few of them from the busy crowd of the day. As she completed them, more and more of the hosts left. First Honey and Mori, then the twins and even Kyoya went out to meet his driver. She hasn't even realized Tamaki had stayed until she dried the last dish and went to go grab her bag.

"Oh," she's gasped in surprise, having thought she was alone for the last five minutes. "Is your car running late?"

"I wanted to offer you a ride home," he said. "It's not White Day, but I want to thank you for the chocolates."

Haruhi felt heat rise up her neck and on to her face. She'd really liked the thanks and smiles she'd gotten from the other hosts for their gifts, but this has thrown hey even further by surprise.

"I'd really like that," she admitted. Not only would she get home a little quicker, she'd get to spend a little time alone with Tamaki. That was rare, and quite special to her.

He'd led her out to the parking lot and opened the door for her. Once inside he pulled her into a long hug. There were a lot of times where he was so loud and energetic, she liked these quiet moments with him. She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. He had a vague smell of citrus about him, and she found she rather liked his cologne. She's been so relaxed, she almost didn't hear him speak.

"Your chocolates mean more than every one of the ones in my bag combined," he told her. Her eyes fluttered open and she pulled away from his hug. A wave of insecurity washed over her and she felt a need to put distance between her and Tamaki. Her eyes dropped to her lap.

"You don't have to play host for me today," she said. "I appreciate it for the effort I put in, but I know my homemade chocolates couldn't really compare to some of the really nice ones you got."

"Homemade?" Tamaki echoed. "Did you make all of our chocolates? All the hosts?"

"I used melting chocolate for the others'," she clarified, "but I made yours from scratch."

Tamaki pulled her back into a hug, holding her tight against him. Despite feeling self conscious, his body heat and that citrus smell made her relax again.

"Don't you dare convince yourself that I don't love yours more than any other chocolate in the world," he said. "Don't convince yourself I'm lying, or 'playing host'.I couldn't be happier to receive them."

Haruhi closed her eyes and once again rested her head on his shoulder. She breathed in his scent and let herself actually relax. There was still a seed of her insecurity, though most of it had ebbed away.

"I'm happy you like them. I," she paused, even her mental state didn't allow for her confession to just slip out like other things had that afternoon. "I really like you, Tamaki-sempai."

"Not love?" he teased, his tone quiet, but she could hear his smile.

"I'm done with love confessions today," she answered, a laugh building in her throat. "So you're getting a 'like' from me."

Tamaki also chuckled, leaning down so his lips brushed her ear as he spoke. "Then I like you too, Haruhi."

A warm grin spread over her lips, as she stayed close to Tamaki the rest of the way to her house.

"I'll text you tonight?" Tamaki said before she jumped out, and she nodded.

"I look forward to it," she said, giving him a last smile. The car stayed in place until she reached the door to her apartment and had it open. She heard the car pull away from the curb just as she heard her father call out from the living room.

"Oh, Haruhi! I'm glad you're home. Come let daddy give you a hug for your delicious chocolates!"

Haruhi gave a satisfied sigh as she took off her shoes. Valentine's Day had been a great day.


	2. Bonus: White Day

"Did you need a ride home this afternoon?" Tamaki asked, as Haruhi put away the last of the tea cups she'd finished washing. She looked up, ready to say no, but the word caught in her throat. She hadn't gotten to spend more than a few moments here and there alone with Tamaki, even though it'd been nearly a month since Valentine's Day. It hadn't been through any fault of their own, but if Haruhi was being honest with herself, and she liked to be as often as possible, even if she did like Tamaki, it didn't really matter. She didn't have time for dealing with love between classes, housework, and the Host club. Especially since they were in the last planning stages for the White Day party. They'd worked hard to get all the preparations finished, especially since Tamaki kept changing his mind and coming up with new ideas that _absolutely had_ to be implemented. For the most part, Kyoya kept the Host King in check and the wild and random ideas from Tamaki had slowed down.

"Oh, well, I don't strictly need one," she answered, "but I wouldn't mind a ride if it's not a trouble."

"Of course it's not trouble."

When Haruhi had gotten her jacket on and her bag on her shoulder, she turned to Tamaki who seemed to be staring off into space. He did this often, of course, and Haruhi was never entirely sure where his mind went every time he day dreamed.

"Tamaki? Tamaki?" It took a moment to get his attention, but he finally snapped out of whatever random train of thought he had been stuck in. He a blush lightly tinged his face, but didn't say a word other than to ask if she was ready to go. Haruhi nodded, and followed him out to the parking lot outside the front gate. It wasn't particularly cold, especially for early March, but it wasn't warm yet either. The snow left over from the last storm of the season was mostly melted away, though, and small signs of spring were starting to make themselves known. Campus groundskeepers had already made sure that the trees were pruned to make room for the coming growth.

"Are you looking forward to the party?" Tamaki asked as he opened the car door for Haruhi. She gave him an odd look, pausing for too long, as she realized she hadn't even considered whether or not she looked forward to the event. She hadn't even really had the time or energy to think about enjoying herself for her own sake with everything going on.

"I suppose I am," she finally said. She got into the car and tried, at least for the moment, not to focus on the dinner she'd need to cook, or the laundry and studying that would be put off so she could spend a night at the White Day party. "It'll be nice to give something back to the girls who've visited the club so much in the last month, two really, in the time leading up to Valentine's."

"Indeed," Tamaki said, settling into his own seat. He didn't elaborate, but just gazed at her as though his mind was wandering again. His eyes had that slightly glazed over look when he daydreamed his wild dreams, they weren't filled with starry excitement, instead they were much more relaxed, as if partially grounded in reality.

"Um, sempai?" she said. It was one thing when he did this sort of thing during club hours. Usually the twins, Kyoya, and even Mori once or twice, were able to reign him in. Now, it felt like it was wasting the short time they had alone together. Even if she didn't have time to even think about dating and romance, she wanted to at least enjoy their friendship in the time she did have.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking a little too much," he said. "White Day isn't until the day after tomorrow, but-" He paused, no, fully stopped. He swallowed and took a deep breathe as if he were nervous. Just the idea that Tamaki Suoh, the Host Club King with the ability to be smooth and suave with any women, could be nervous was laughable to Haruhi. "I wanted to, well, give you your present separately."

Haruhi furrowed her brow. "I thought we already covered my White Day present. You guys let me have my pick of food to have at the party. That definitely more than enough." Kyoya had suggested the present, and it sounded like a great present. The twins even promised that they'd make sure that she got to try at least a little bit of each food she'd picked out. It was honestly the best thing she really could expect from the Host club in terms of presents. They had a habit of embarrassing her in trying to give her things.

"That's true, but I really wanted to give you something special. You went through the effort to make something you clearly cared a great deal about. The recipe you used was one from your mother's collection, wasn't it?" Haruhi nodded, her mouth going too dry for her to respond easily. "I thought so. I could tell that you really put your heart into it. That why I really wanted to do something extra."

She waited, one moment, two, for him to say more, but instead of saying anything further, he pulled out his phone. A frown found it's way to Haruhi's face as she felt confused. She'd found that state of mind more familiar since joining the Host Club but it was still uncomfortable for her. Tamaki pressed a few buttons and held the phone up to his ear, and Haruhi could hear it ring once, twice, and a third time before a click and vague voice said something on the other line.

"Hey Kyoya? It's Tamaki. Remember the conversation we had last week? Yeah, that one. Well, I'm going to do it. I'll send you the money to put in the Host Club fund when I get home. Thanks for letting me do this. Yeah, yeah. I'll see you tomorrow."

Silence filled the car yet again as Tamaki put his phone away and sat back, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. Haruhi's frown deepened.

"Do you plan on explain any of it, sempai?" she finally asked, and Tamaki looked at her, a startled look on his face.

"I, uh, got a little ahead of myself, didn't I?"

"A little."

"I guess I should explain. You might understand a little bit better why it's the sort of thing that can make one forget little details. The White Day present I wanted to give you is freedom from your debt to the club."

The dry feeling returned to her mouth. "W-what?" she replied, more out of surprise than anything. She'd looked at her numbers just days ago with Kyoya. There was nearly ¥5 million left on her ledger. If she didn't make a habit of reviewing her numbers weekly, she might have thought Kyoya was specifically making sure she knew how much Tamaki was spending on her. Clearly he knew it was coming, from what Tamaki had just said while he was on the phone.

"I know there's no guarantee you'll stay with the club, now that you aren't indebted to us," he explained. "I hope you will, but it's not fair that we take away your ability to do what you want. It's also occured to me that it may be unethical, considering my feelings."

"Your feelings? You mean our conversation on Valentine's day?" she managed, trying desperately to sound even and calm even though thoughts raced through her mind.

"Yes. I want to respect you," he said. "I want to be up front. I-well, I love you, Haruhi. I was hoping you might be willing to be my girlfriend?"

Haruhi had no idea how to respond. Her feelings hadn't changed in the last month, but the problem was that her feelings hadn't changed. She still definitely liked him, though there was no exploration into whether she returned his feelings of love. In that moment, though, she knew there was no one she felt even remotely the same for, even when she included how fond she was of the rest of the boys in the Host Club. Her eyes dropped to her hands, folded in her lap.

"I'm sorry, Tamaki. You just spent so much to ask that question. I just don't think that I'm ready for a relationship right now," she told him. "I don't want to leave the Host Club, but that means I simply don't have time to add something else on top. I have so many responsibilities."

"I see."

She couldn't bring herself to look up to see the likely heart broken look in Tamaki's eyes. She knew she was hurting him to say it, and it would tear her apart to see it just that moment.

"I think," she added, speaking slowly and steadily without much effort, "that if I was ready, if I did have the time, you're the only person I would want to be my- my boyfriend."

There. She had been every bit upfront with him as he'd been with her. He'd risked a great deal to tell her that. He had every right to think she'd leave the Host Club the moment she was able and maybe a few weeks ago, she might have. The sheer amount of stress brought on by the 'season of love' really showed Haruhi how much she could really rely on the guys in the Host Club to support her. She'd realized they'd become her family and in this exact moment, with her debt completely erase in front of her eyes, she didn't want to quit the club. Finally, she made herself look up into Tamaki's eyes. She had expect him to look sad, heartbroken, but a smile, different from his bright, wide Host smile, played on his lips.

"I'm glad you told me, Haruhi. I don't regret paying your debt," he told her. "I meant it when I said I want to respect you. I know that includes respecting your boundaries. I just hope you know that my position won't change, at least for a long while. If you want to change your answer, let me know."

All at once, Haruhi's guilt at turning Tamaki down completely vanished. He really did want her to be happy, and she was confident in her feelings. It didn't change the fact she couldn't date him, but she knew the moment she was ready, he would know. A smile formed on her face as she relaxed.

"Now that I don't have to worry too much about my debt, I wonder if I could get away with wearing a few more dresses," she said. She had just intended on teasing him a little, but his mouth dropped open.

"Do you think you would wear dresses more often?" he asked as a familiar starry excitement filled his eyes. She sighed and patted his hand.

"I can talk to the twins tomorrow. I can't wear them to school, but they have a rack of dresses for different cosplays. Right now, it's not the end of the world if I get found out, so I guess there's nothing wrong with wearing one once in awhile."

They chatted about club events coming up, the White Day party, a cherry blossom viewing Kyoya has planned as a more 'intimate' event in comparison, as well as a couple cosplay says Tamaki had in mind. Haruhi found herself reluctant to get out of the car when they pulled up to her apartment.

"Feel free to text me, okay?" she asked.

"Of course."

"You're wearing that?" Hikaru asked as Haruhi stepped out of her changing room. She was wearing the same white tuxedo that the twins had already put on.

"Of course. What else would I wear?" With how hard Tamaki had begged and argued for the more expensive option for the club member, even after Kyoya had said they'd wear them, it was unthinkable that she'd wear any of the other clothes on the rack.

"I would have thought you'd see the white dress and wear that Kaoru left right next to the mirror," he said. "We picked it out specifically for you, now that you don't have to pretend to be male." Haruhi rolled her eyes. Just in the last two days, the twins took every single opportunity to try to convince her to wear a dress. She almost considered it an obsession.

"Well telling the girls today probably wouldn't turn out well, considering this is our gift to them," she pointed out. Hikaru just shrugged.

"Well, feel free to take the dress," he said. "It's from the line I'm designing with my mom, and I made that one to look good on you."

"Oh, well thanks, I guess."

"Are you ready? It's almost time for our entrance," Kyoya's voice called into the room. Haruhi sighed as Hikaru bounded out of the room and followed behind him. Everyone sounded like they thought this was her last event as a host. She just shook her head and joined the lineup of hosts for their entrance. She could help the smile on her face as they entered and she saw the excitement in the girls' faces. She made the decision to stay in the club because of the family she'd found among the Hosts, but seeing the happiness in the girls they served really was a nice bonus.

She really loved the Host Club in general and, especially now that she was free, she wouldn't trade them for anything.


	3. Bonus: Tamaki's Birthday

(A/N I didn't particularly plan on writing this part, but Sister Of The Pharaoh suggested a scene with Tamaki and Haruhi, and I was inspired for his birthday, which takes place roughly a month after White Day. What I wrote isn't 100% what they requested, but credit definitely needs to go to them for the idea!)

Life was strangely normal after Haruhi's debt had been paid off in full. The student body still thought she was a boy, and she was still a host for the club. As the days and weeks went on, the other guys stopped acting like she was going to stop going just because she could and everything was more or less back to status quo. The biggest difference was, unlike the month between Valentine's Day and White Day, Haruhi had spent quite a bit of time with Tamaki outside of the normal club activities. She'd made a habit of going to the cafeteria to sit with him to eat together and most days Tamaki stayed to give Haruhi a ride home after they closed the club for the afternoon. Unfortunately, though, the girls seemed to pick up on the closer relationship she'd started to build with the Host King.

"You've been spending so much time with Tamaki-sempai lately. Are you guys best friends now?" one of her regulars, Kimiko asked. Haruhi had expected this line of questioning before now, it was likely Tamaki's absence, as his presence was required for some kind of meeting with the chairman, that lent them the courage to bring it up.

"I can only imagine how nice it must be to spend so much time with Tamaki-sempai," another regular, Momoka added. "I hope everything's okay with him and Kyoya-sempai, though."

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that-" Haruhi tried to correct, but of course Renge, who'd also chosen today to request time with Haruhi, had to fan the flames.

"I heard from a couple of second year girls that Tamaki-sempai and Haruhi are dating," she said with her normal air of confidence. While the remark shouldn't have surprised Haruhi, given the source, her eyes went wide and she was quick to try to quash the rumor.

"Oh come on, Renge," Haruhi scolded. "It's not nice to start rumors like that. I'm not dating anyone."

"I'm sorry ladies," Kyoya cut in, and Haruhi breathed a sigh of relief to have a break from this line of questioning, "but it's time nearing closing time and I need a moment with Haruhi."

"Is everything okay, Kyoya-sempai?" Momoka asked. She even looked a little worried, as though she were convinced there was some rift among the hosts.

"Of course, princess," Kyoya answered smoothly. "We're merely taking care of a few administrative matters."

They wished the girls a good afternoon and Haruhi followed Kyoya over to where he'd set out his laptop and the black book with what had been her ledger. It was hard not for Haruhi to take great pleasure to see a zero, written in black ink at the bottom of a list of red numbers. She took a seat next to Kyoya and took a grateful sigh of relief.

"I want to thank you, Kyoya, for helping me with this," she said. "I really want Tamaki's birthday to be fun and I think he'll be happiest celebrating with some of the regulars from the Host Club."

"I quite agree," Kyoya replied as he started tapping away at his keyboard. "I'm rather pleased with the idea, actually. If anything, I'm surprised you're okay with my terms. You've objected in the past to the premium I place on entrance to these events."

Haruhi responded with a shrug. "Business is business, I suppose. I guess I got a bit more used to it as that kind of thing paid off my debt. Plus, I don't really think Tamaki-sempai would notice the difference."

As the other Hosts said goodbye to their guests, they started to wander over and help with planning. First Honey and Mori, who brought the idea of a tea party with fancy French pastries since Tamaki likely missed his French roots.

Haurhi perked up as a thought occurred to her. "I know Tamaki-sempai can't talk to his mother and family in France, but is there anyway that we might be able to contact them? There might be a recipe or two we could get so he can have it again and share it with our guests."

Hikaru and Kaoru were the last to make their way over after they'd lead their last guests out. They were eager to add their own ideas and, though no one would say it aloud, the planning went much smoother than the White Day party had, with Tamaki's constant changes and adjustments. They were nearly done for the afternoon when Haruhi felt her phone buzz in her pocket.

 _[From Tamaki: Are you guys hanging around the club room at all? I'm done with my dad.]_

She quickly typed out a reply, a smile forming on her lips.

 _[To Tamaki: Yes, but we're planning a surprise for your birthday. I can call you when we're done though.]_

If she knew Tamaki at all, if he thought they were hiding something from him, or thought they'd forgotten his birthday, he would get upset and there was a chance he'd accidentally ruin his own party. This way, they got to keep the surprise, but he was less likely to fly off the handle on some conclusion he'd jump to.

 _[From Tamaki: You really are the best.]_

Haruhi put away her phone and finished the last details they needed to decide on before they needed to scatter.

When the morning of April 8th finally arrived, after a week of Tamaki trying to poke and prod and figure out what his birthday surprise was, the sky looked dark gray and the air felt like rain long before a lone crack of thunder sounded just after lunch. Neither Hikaru nor Kaoru missed Haruhi's pause in her note taking. She froze on the spot, her eyes trained, unseeing, on the page of writing in front of her. The twins exchanged a look but they couldn't do anything without interrupting the lesson. Hikaru frowned and glanced towards the window, where light drops of rain started to hit the pane of glass.

Fortunately, there was no more thunder and, at least from where they could see from out the classroom windows, no lightning, but unfortunately the rain didn't let up as their lessons went on. If anything, the rain picked up and the drops that hit the window looked much bigger. By the time the last bell went off, it was pouring rain out. Hikaru and Kaoru got up from their desks and went to check on how Haruhi was really doing. It was the thunder and lightning that caused anxiety for Haruhi, but they weren't going to take any chances in making sure they day went smoothly.

"It's a good thing we planned for the party to be in the music room," Hikaru said. "We'd have gotten rained out if we went with my idea to have it in the same place we did the cherry blossom viewing."

Haruhi just nodded as she put her notebooks away in her bag. A look of worry crossed her face as she stared at her bag for a moment.

"I feel like I'm forgetting something," she said. "Like there's something I forgot for this afternoon."

"Impossible," Kaoru said. "Between the six of us, we thought of everything to for the party. It'll be perfect." Haruhi nodded again and she stopped staring off into space, though whatever she was forgetting, real or not, was clearly still bothering her. She finished getting her things together and the three first years made their way to the music room.

They'd made it explicitly clear to Tamaki he wasn't allowed back to the clubroom until after 3pm, when everything would be in place for his birthday surprise. He'd reluctantly agreed, but he'd stuck to his promise so far. It gave them time to change and direct the caterers and place last minute decorations. Haruhi took a deep breath as she looked at herself in the changing room mirror.

After a long debate with herself and with the other Hosts, she'd chosen to wear the white dress that Hikaru had given her. It was a club event and despite the small number of clients on the guest list, they all knew that news of Haruhi's true gender would spread quickly. Quite likely even before the party had ended. It would be worth it though, she'd decided. Tamaki had wanted to get her in dresses for as long she he'd known she was a girl and this one was well suited for her. It had thick straps that made her shoulders look small, well smaller, and dainty and the sweetheart neckline made her look curvy where there really were no curves. Even the length, a short tea length, was perfect for her height. Plus, Kyoya had promised, if the demand for requests were still there, she could remain a member of the host club. She took another deep breath, mostly satisfied, when a thought hit her. Her eyes jolted wide and she ran from the dressing room.

"Are you okay, Haru-chan?" Honey asked as she sped past him, but she didn't answer. She ran over to her bag and pulled it open. After a moment of rifling through it, she stopped and dropped her bag back onto the counter it had been resting on. She felt like crying and brought her hands up to her face in embarrassment.

"I forgot his present," she declared. Very clearly, she could picture in her mind where she'd left the pastry, the tarte Tatin, on the counter at home. Her voice was soft and quiet, but each host present had become acutely aware of her distress. Mori was the closest to her and he reached over, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"It will be okay," he said, but she shook her head. Kyoya had gone to a lot of trouble to give her the way to contact Tamaki's mother and Hikaru and Kaoru had paid for the hour and a half she'd spent on the international call with Anne-Sophie getting her family's recipe. Honey had even helped her French where tiny gaps in her Ouran education became clear. She'd worked hard to follow the recipe to the letter and she'd just left it at home. The last words Anne-Sophie had said rang in her mind.

" _Je suis heureux que mon fils a de bons amis."_ She'd been able to understand without Honey's help. _I am glad my son has good friends._ Right at this moment, she didn't feel like a good friend at all.

"The rain looks like it's letting up," Kaoru said, peering out the window. "We still have a half hour before the party starts. One of us can go with Haruhi to go grab it and easily be back in time."

"I'll call the car," Hikaru said, already typing into his phone. "You guys finish setting up and I'll make sure we get it."

Haruhi didn't even respond but grabbed her keys and followed behind Hikaru as he strode towards the door. She didn't realized she'd forgotten to grab an umbrella until they'd reached the gate and she felt drops tickle her shoulders. It was only a drizzle, though, so she put it from her mind and climbed into the limo behind Hikaru before his driver closed the door behind them. She didn't feel any form of calm until they'd reached her apartment building and the pastry box was in her hands. She breathed a sigh of relief when she was once again sitting in the car and they pulled away to return to the school.

"Thanks for doing this," she finally said. Hikaru just shrugged.

"We'd do anything for you or Tamaki," he said. "This happens to be one of those things that applies to both of you."

Haruhi nodded and allowed herself to relax. She'd made a mistake, but it wasn't the end of the world. It was calming to remember how quick her friends were to help her. As her mind returned to a neutral state, the reality of the rain started to sink in. Once again, the rain seemed to be picking up and the threat of thunder and lightning during the party worried her. Even without the potential fear and anxiety, there was the problem of getting into school without getting the tart, and herself, completely soaked. All at once, she regretted not having the presence of mind to grab an umbrella before they'd left the school.

When they finally reached the school, it felt like it was raining harder than ever. A glance at the digital clock on the display below the window into the driver's section of the car told her they didn't have much time before the party started.

"I apologize, Mr Hitachiin and Ms Fujioka, I'm afraid Messers Hitachiin have taken the umbrellas we normally have on hand this morning. I'm going to pull as close to the school as I can. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience," the driver told them. Hikaru frowned, but refrained from snapping at him. He hated the sad look on Haruhi's face. Without a second thought, he pulled off his suit jacket and handed it to Haruhi.

"Use this to keep dry," he said. "I'll be okay. The girls will have a chance to tell Kaoru and I apart this way."

Haruhi offered him a grateful smile and draped the jacket over her shoulder, carefully tucking the box and under it as possible. Hikaru stepped out first and offered a hand to help her up. Immediately, the cold rain started to hit her hair and the jacket, but she ignored it as best as possible as she made a beeline for the closest door into the school. By the time she made it inside where it was warm and dry, the bottom of her dress and her hair was completely soaked through, but the box she carefully held was nearly completely dry. She took a second to catch her breath and lifted a corner of the lid to check the pastry inside. It was completely unharmed. A sigh of relief she couldn't stop if she wanted to passed through her.

"Haruhi? Hikaru? What's going on?" a very familiar voice asked, and her eyes snapped up to meet Tamaki's violet eyes. Almost unwilling to admit her mistake, her eyes dropped back to the white box in her hands.

"I, uh, sort of forgot your gift at home," she said. "I had to run back to get it before you were due up to the clubroom.."

"Is that it?" he asked, curiously, his eyes trailing from hers to the white box, and then to the dress she was wearing. "Wait, were you wearing that for this afternoon?"

"Yeah," Haruhi replied slowly. "It was supposed to be a surprise. I know you like it when I wear dresses, so I thought that you'd like it best."

Tamaki let out a laugh that took her by surprise. She looked up at him again. "I like it best when you're you. Whether you're wearing a dress or have a gift for me or not."

"Oh."

"You know," Hikaru said, his arms crossed in front of him, "we went through a great deal of trouble to make sure Haruhi could give that to you. You'd better like it best."

Tamaki's eyes flitted to the box again, curiosity taking over his facial features. He started to reach for it, but Hikaru grabbed it away from him, out of Haruhi's hands.

"No," he said. "You can open it when you're supposed to, after Kaoru and I get a chance to fix Haruhi's hair and makeup."

Tamaki's energy and excitement at seeing the fancy tea party they'd set up had been more than worth the trouble for Haruhi. He'd thanked each one of them a dozen times and his energy even distracted their guests from asking any questions about the girl who looked like the Haruhi they knew. No one felt the need to question her until Tamaki started to open the presents the guests had brought. The first box he reached for was the white pastry box he'd seen Haruhi bring in earlier.

He'd barely lifted the lid before his mouth dropped open. He started at it for a moment, words lost in whatever was going through his mind.

"Is this-?" was all he could manage. "Haruhi, how did you know?"

"Everyone helped me, I talked to your mother for the recipe. I thought you'd like it," she explained. Tamaki was still blind to the world, but Haruhi didn't miss the tiny whispers that started to float from the girls.

"That _is Haruhi?"_

" _Did you know Haruhi was a girl?"_

"Of course I love it," he said. He got up from his seat, box still in hand, and kissed her.

" _I told you they were dating!"_

" _Do you think this means they'll stop being hosts?"_

Tamaki grinned brightly as he returned to his seat, leaving a blushing and lightly dazed Haruhi behind for the moment. He insisted everyone should try a piece of the pastry Haruhi had made, explaining its importance to his childhood. Once again, his energy and enthusiasm distracted the guests from their gossip, each eager to understand this little piece of their Host King.

It didn't matter what gossip would spread once the party ended. She knew everyone would talk about how she and Tamaki were dating. She wasn't quite in a hurry to correct them.


End file.
